1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of medical devices and particularly to devices worn by patients, such as those worn for protection. In particular, the present invention relates to hip protectors worn by patients to reduce hip injuries, including devices worn by the elderly to reduce hip fractures, and other bone fractures in the pelvic area, resulting from falls.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hip fractures are currently a significant cause of death and disability in the elderly. As people live to older ages, particularly in the more highly developed countries, the impact of hip fractures becomes even greater. Persons 80 years and older have mortality rates significantly higher, as much as eight times higher, than persons 60 years and younger.
Hip fractures are generally related to falls and osteoporosis, the later affecting on the order of one in four post-menopausal white women. As many as 90% of hip fractures occur due to a fall or other direct trauma to the hip.
Hip fractures, and other bone fractures in the pelvic area, are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly, currently costing billions of dollars in health care costs in the United States alone. Any significant reduction in the incidence or severity of hip injuries, particularly injuries in the elderly resulting from falls, would have a significant positive impact on society reducing the resultant morbidity, mortality and other social and economic costs.
Conventional devices for reducing the frequency and severity of hip and pelvic injuries fall into two general categories, sports related devices as well as devices for the elderly. Most such conventional devices are intended for selected care, that is, only worn by an individual with a particularly high risk of injury such as an athlete playing a high risk position in a particular sport, or an elderly person with significant osteoporosis. Other conventional devices target a wider market, such as a football pant modified with hip pads or hospital gowns with pads, to be worn by a wider group of people, e.g. all members of an athletic team or all high risk elderly patients in a hospital.
Attempts have been made over many years to design suitable hip and pelvic injury protectors, but conventional designs are usually bulky and cumbersome. Some conventional designs use adhesive materials to adhere protective pads directly to the skin which renders the devices both uncomfortable and impractical. Many conventional designs are relatively complicated, and use awkward devices such as air bladders. Such devices are often difficult for wide spread general use because they require many different sizes to be available. Such devices often hinder common actions, such as restroom activities.
One of the major problems to be solved with such devices is initial and ongoing placement of the protecting devices in the appropriate areas. Some hip protector devices use belts and other attachments to position protector pads, and keep them from riding up or otherwise changing position, while other such conventional devices are deficient in this area. In some conventional devices, such position controlling apparatus make it difficult for the user to properly put the medical device on or are uncomfortable for extended use. Similarly, with some users, the user's own activities such as lack of user compliance in properly operating the device and/or remembering to readjust the device after restroom activities make such conventional devices unsuitable for wide application.
One group of users having compliance problems with the ongoing continual use of medical devices that are worn about the body are the elderly, particularly those with Alzheimer's disease (or other forms of dementia). These patients are often the ones with the greatest need of assured compliance with the wearing and use of medical devices and are typically at greater risk of hip fractures. Unfortunately, it is difficult to assure their voluntary compliance with the use of any medical device or apparatus such as hip protectors. Indeed, such individuals often inappropriately remove their own clothing, pull out catheters, and are generally difficult management problems.
What are needed are relatively simple, easy to stock and use medical devices worn by the patients, such as hip protectors, that do not have the limitations of known devices, including those problems related to compliance.